The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

The Mid-Autumn Festival was one of the most important festivals during the Qing Dynasty. It originally evolved from the Moon Festival on the night of the Autumnal Equinox. Because the moonlight was more beautiful on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the two gradually merged into one. A poem goes like this: "If there were no moon this night, the whole autumn would have been wasted."

The Book of Rites states: "In spring the emperor worships the sun, and in autumn he worships the moon. He worships the sun in the morning and the moon in the evening." The Imperial Household Department had already received instructions and prepared a grand ceremony to worship the moon.

The night before, the concubines bathed, burned incense, and prepared their formal attire. At the end of the afternoon, led by the empress, they arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

A wooden screen is placed facing east in the courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and two eight-immortal tables covered with yellow satin are placed in front of the screen. Cockscombs, edamame branches, lotus roots and other items are hung on both sides of the screen. On the table there is a large moon cake weighing ten kilograms, printed with a pattern of "Jade Rabbit pounding medicine in front of Guanghan Palace", and two small moon cakes weighing two or three kilograms. In front of the moon cakes there are offerings such as cakes and fruits, and in front of the offerings are incense burners and red candles.

After the moon comes out, red candles are lit, cushions are laid out, and the moon worship ceremony begins.

The emperor knelt on a mat, and a palace maid handed him a prayer praising the moon. Using the moonlight and candlelight, the emperor recited to the moon. After finishing, he placed the prayer and a piece of moon paper with a picture of the Moon God on top in a small basin in front of the table and burned them. He then bowed again and left. After the emperor finished his worship, the empress and other concubines, in order of rank, approached the table, knelt, burned incense, and silently prayed for their wishes. They then bowed once to the Moon God. This continued until all the concubines had finished their worship. The Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Worship Ceremony was thus complete.

The emperor personally cut off the halo (middle part) of the mooncake and presented it to the Empress Dowager. The rest of the mooncake was distributed to the concubines present, the side part was given to the eunuchs and palace maids, and the other mooncake was given to princes, dukes and other ministers. The ten-pound mooncake was wrapped in red silk and dried in a cool place, and stored until New Year's Eve to be eaten, which meant "reunion".

People at that time attached far more importance to the Mid-Autumn Festival than in later generations, and An Lingrong also found this set of moon worship procedures strange and interesting.

After the ceremony, the emperor, empress and concubines went to Chonghua Palace to attend the dinner. The palace maids from each palace paid their respects and then removed the altar.

Chonghua Palace was newly decorated, hung with lanterns of various colors, and the tables were decorated with seasonal flowers such as osmanthus and chrysanthemums. After everyone sat down, the young eunuchs entered the hall one by one, presenting various moon cakes and a pot of osmanthus wine.

There are many kinds of mooncakes in the palace, which are distinguished by their production techniques. There are crispy mooncakes made with sesame oil and flour, butter mooncakes made with refined butter and flour, and lard and flour mooncakes.

There are different types of fillings, including sugar filling, fruit filling, granulated sand filling, date filling, as well as sweet and salty fillings such as sesame, pepper and salt, etc. There are all kinds of fillings available.

Mooncakes come in a variety of fillings and craftsmanship, and their sizes are also diverse. There are eight different sizes, all made from the same mold.

There are also local specialty mooncakes, tributed by provincial governors and governors-general. Su's mooncakes have a crispy, beautiful crust, a rich but not greasy filling, and a crispy texture. Cantonese mooncakes feature a thin, soft crust, beautiful shape, intricate patterns, and crisp, durable designs. Yunnan-style mooncakes are represented by Yunnan ham mooncakes and fresh flower mooncakes, distinguished by their fillings of Yunnan ham. Their fluffy crust and sweet and salty fillings create a distinct Yunnan ham flavor. Guodulin mooncakes, made with a unique Shanxi technique of using flour as the filling, offer a rich, crispy, and refreshing taste, sweet but not greasy, characterized by their crispy, sharp, sweet, and mellow texture.